Brookies, rainbows and hoppers

It has been another busy week here in Trout Creek, MI. Randy and Steve joined me for a couple of days of great fishing, great meals (if I do say so myself, given the fact that I cooked them), and great camaraderie. We began their adventure catching numbers of brook trout and ended it catching quality. Randy is an exceptional angler who selflessly gave up time with me for his good friend Steve. Steve hadn’t had a fly rod in his hand in a year, but proved that fly-fishing is like riding a bicycle. Both caught an amazing number of brook trout up to a foot long and Steve finished off the trip landing a large-shouldered, 17-inch rainbow on a Copper John, despite having never thrown a nymph rig in this life and overcoming that steep learning curve in just two pools.

The weather continues on its roller-coaster fashion. Last week Tuesday morning, residents covered their gardens for fear of frost, while Monday the high broke 90 degrees for the first (and hopefully only) time this year. Now we are back in the 70s, a much better temperature for fish and anglers alike. If you follow my Twitter account, you will already know that hoppers are the newest game in town. I had a day off on Sunday and absolutely hammered brook trout on a new stretch of river I had never fished. If you are looking to head for the U.P., now is the time.

Busy, fishy days in the U.P.

It has been an incredibly busy past few weeks as clients have come and gone from three different states. I fished with Sean and his son Jacob in late June. Sean recorded a U.P. Fly Angler first with a double Michigan Hat Trick, that being a brown, brook and rainbow trout from the same river on the same day. Sean did it on two different rivers and topped off that feat by catching a nice smallmouth bass. I fished with Pete and Bob in early July who proved themselves to be not only fine anglers, but just plain great guys to be around. David made the long trek from the Gulf Coast to spend four days hammering nice brook trout and spending a great morning catching northern pike from my drift boat. He even pulled in a 20-inch walleye from a deep river pool. On my rare days off, I managed to finish my camp sauna, allowing guests to fish brook trout during the day, relax in 140-degree comfort as night falls, and complete the day with a locally-made pasty. If you don’t know what a pasty is, you really need to experience one made by the local “Pasty Lady.”

The roller-coaster weather has been an issue as we seem to have either days in the upper 70s or days in the 50s. The fishing, though,  has taken a definite turn from sub-surface to dry flies. While streamers still are the ticket early in the morning, the fish have turned on to Royal Trudes, caddis and hoppers once the day has warmed up and bubble lines have become the drift of choice. The mosquitoes and deer flies have even slowed down significantly. It is a great time to fish the U.P. so if you have any interest, visit our website, shoot us an email, and get ready for some wilderness fishing.

Another "first" in my life

There are firsts in your life, even as you approach middle age. There are the usual. Watching your daughter get married, having your first colonoscopy and getting your first AARP correspondence come to mind among many others which I’m too shy or too sensitive to mention. For those of us lucky enough to spend a hundred or more days a year in waders, there are still firsts and this week I had one of them.

I was fishing a stretch of a large river that I had not been on before but had recently gained access to through a private landowner. Having fished the river many times before, albeit upstream where wading is simply treacherous rather than downright dangerous, I was anxious to see what it held in store. I fished it at high noon, thinking that if I could move fish then, I’d have the world by the balls rather than the other way around which is typical, if you know what I mean.

I fished downstream to a rather fishy pool, shaded by a white pine it would have taken four grown men (or extremely tall women) to get their arms around. It was perched atop the outside of an undercut bank that had me dreaming of a 20-inch brown trout grabbing the girdle bug or Copper John I was patiently drifting through its lair. The tree’s base had been eroded enough for me to see its massive roots, started during its seedling days that likely began before the days of Prohibition, a time that would have put me and all of my friends in jail (not that I have many friends nor that we drink a lot). A small trickle of six-inch boulders falling into the water followed by a groan of its massive trunk probably signaled its demise, but what the hell, it was still a fishy-looking spot.

Another gust of wind, no twitches from my Thingamabobber, and another groan from the tree ultimately sealed the deal and I moved upstream to await its fate. I would love to tell you that as soon as I moved away the relic hit the stream, but it was about ten minutes after I had moved on that the groan evolved into an audible crack and the familiar sound of a tree going down screamed out. The subsequent splash of water was all I needed to know that I had moved on just in the nick of time.

For those who showed up for a fishing report, fishing continues to improve and we had just under an inch of rain on Friday, something the fish needed. Cooler weather also arrived and the combination should keep the fish happy. Streamers continue to catch the most fish, especially on cloudy days. 

To those who are spending a few days with me this summer, you will be happy to learn that the screen porch/sauna is taking shape and I am hoping it will be ready for my 4^th of July guests.

No time like the present

Everyone who gets into guiding does so for his or her own reasons. For me, it was a desire to meet new people, enjoy seeing their faces as they caught fish or looked around at the beauty of the Upper Peninsula, and do a bit of teaching if they felt they needed improvement in a certain area. This week I got a chance to do all three as I guided Norm and Tory.

Norm openly admitted they were “low-maintenance” folks and indeed they were. Both worked hard for the entire trip even as the day neared its end and we were all clearly tired from our day on the water. Both caught fish (I won’t say who caught more) and, I hope, everyone learned something (including me).  All-in-all, it was a fine day on the water with some wonderful clients.

As for this week’s fishing report, I can finally report that water levels have dropped to the point where all streams are now ready to wade. The fish are more active on smaller streams, taking crystal buggers, soft hackles, and stimulators. Sculpzillas have moved the largest fish as have girdle bugs. Cooler weather this week (we had two nights with a low at or just below 40 degrees) has stream temperatures holding at or below 60 degrees. There's no time like the present to plan a trip to the U.P.

An interesting week of fish

This has been an interesting week in the U.P. The first few days an angler found little water not blown out by the 2.5 inches of rain that fell over the weekend. By Thursday, however, most waters had cleared and dropped to provide angling opportunities. Stained waters had fish willing to eat and, when they did, it was without hesitation. Streamers were hit hard and nymphs were inhaled as soon as they hit the water. Clear waters had fish willing to chase streamers and dries, but with a bit more hesitation. The key on those streams was patience … a slight pause was needed to entice a strike. Cooler weather moved in this morning and rain is falling making it feel more like fall than summer. Water temperatures are at or just above 60 degrees area wide, so the cooler temperatures are welcome. The biggest issue right now is the mosquitoes. They are simply ravenous. But then again, what’s a few bug bites when the fish are biting?

Finally ... Hot, dry weather brings insects, fish to the surface

A week of hot, dry weather has made quite a difference in the western Upper Peninsula.  Whereas most streams were still not safe to fish last Sunday, only a few remain unsafe right now. The hot weather (temperatures pushing 90 degrees) brought a multitude of hatches and, on any given day, one saw caddis, Hendricksons, March Browns and Sulphurs in the air. The smorgasbord meant fish never really tuned into one specific fly pattern so silver buggers, tan caddis and royal trudes proved to be the best producers of fish. Some much-needed rain is on its way for the next couple of days as well as cooler temperatures. Hopefully the cooler weather helps the mosquito population calm down as they have been a real nuisance during the early mornings and late evenings.

Almost ready to go

We finally got a stretch of warm, dry weather and it appears we are headed in the right direction. The trees are beginning to show leaves and there are more and more bugs showing up in the air. In the past few days, I have seen some Hendricksons and a number of brown and black stoneflies. I also got my first mosquito bite of the year on Sunday. Water temperatures have reached 50 degrees and one stream was as high as 56 degrees. There are still only a handful of streams that are safe to wade, but it is possible to catch fish if you are willing to work hard for the few you do catch. Silver buggers and brown soft hackles have moved the most fish for me. The warm, dry weather is expected to continue this week and I suspect we will start seeing more bugs in the air and more fish in the hand by the first week of June.